Culture Magazine

34 culturecheesemag.com B E S T C H E E S E S 202 2 SELECTUM CURADO AL PIMENTÓN Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura, S.L. Fuerteventura, Canary Islands This dense, firm cheese from Spain's Canary Islands is coated liberally in paprika for a boost of savory, peppery flavor. Made with both cow's milk and Majorero goat's milk, this Super Gold-winner at WCA is fairly mild and creamy with a sweet, slightly piquant goaty tang and a gentle smoky heat from the pimentón. Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura has also been awarded for their PDO Majorero cheeses. LA RESERVA MIXED MILK AGED CHEESE Queserías Entrepinares Valladolid, Spain Made with cow, sheep, and goat's milk for a blend of richness and complexity, this mature, flavorful cheese from Queserías Entrepinares is undeniably snackable. Warm and fruity, with a toffee-like sweetness and a tiny bit of bite, La Reserva, a Super Gold-winner at WCA, is at home on the table alongside any meal, from coffee and toast to your Sunday roast. DODONI KEFALOTYRI Dodoni SA Epirus, Greece Dodoni sources the sheep and goat's milk for its WCA Gold award-winning Kefalotyri from farmers across the lush, mountainous Epirus region of northwestern Greece. Firm, dry, tangy, and a little salty, this traditional Greek cheese adds flavor to meat and vegetable dishes, grates beautifully over pasta, and of course, makes an excellent choice for saganaki. FLAGSHEEP Beecher's Handmade Cheese Seattle, Wash. This mixed-milk sibling of Beecher's Flagship Reserve is made just like the original— Flagsheep's curds are salted and milled, molded into a drum, and bandaged with cloth before ripening—but the ability of sheep's milk to retain moisture leads to a longer aging period and greater complexity. The ACS Second Best of Show (tied with Bamboozle), Flagsheep spends a total of 18 months in the aging cave, developing its mottled natural rind, dense, crumbly interior and notes of toasted nuts and butterscotch. Photos: Flagsheep by Rina Jordan Photography

• Cover